Creating + Building with Natural Stone

New Sandstone

Lauster Steinbau is opening up new sandstone stocks in Baden-Württemberg. Middle Keuper sandstone is already obtained from a quarry in Waldenbuch in the Böblingen district. There is currently in place an opening and approval process for a ferruginous sandstone quarry in Lauchheim. Both types of sandstone are initially to be used for renovation work on the Ulm Cathedral.

Waldenbuch sandstone is very close-grained and fine-pored. Quartz sediments in the pore spaces between the sand grains give the yellow-white Middle Keuper sandstone its particular hardness and weather resistance. The lower nature conservation authority at Böblingen District Office has no objections to opening the quarry on Betzenberg in Waldenbuch. In fact, the removal of the sandstone gives rise to hopes that the quarry will create a new habitat for rare animals and plants. Discoveries were made on where there is suitable stone without rifts and with weather-resistant binders during the initial quarry work at Waldenbuch. Around 100 cubic metres of sandstone is already available. Around half of that is of a sufficient quality for the cathedral. In future, around 1,000 cubic metres is to be removed from the quarry every year. The stone is not only important for the UIm Cathedral. It is also important for protecting other listed buildings in Baden-Württemberg.

Test quarrying started in January for Lauchheim sandstone, a striking ochre yellow-brown, close-grained ferruginous sandstone, at the Pfaffenloh quarry near Lauchheim in mid-January.

Around 1,000 cubic metres of stone from the test quarry will initially be transported to the Maulbronn plant for processing. 350 cubic metres from the 1,000 cubic metres should be suitable for use on the Ulm Cathedral.